


encore!

by fullmetalgremlin (midnightmxnwalk)



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood & Manga
Genre: Alternate Universe - Time Travel, Gen, Ling Yao centric, Ling time travels, Sort of? - Freeform, Time Travel, Time Travel Fix-It, ed doesn't believe in god because god is a jerk, he's starting a kickstarter to get him put down, ling has a massive fucking vendetta against bradley
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-17 08:28:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,964
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29590023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnightmxnwalk/pseuds/fullmetalgremlin
Summary: "You know, it's not quite as ideal as being king of the world, but I can make do with emperor of Xing...""Young lord... if you are truly a man worthy to be king... then you must be willing to accept some loss."Their voices rang out in his mind, and as he gazed into the crimson depths of a thousand souls, he wished more than anything that he could turn back time.He'd never thought the saying "be careful what you wish for" would ever become so literal for him.-or; in which ling accidentally uses the philosophers stone to go back in time. he's determined not to let anyone die this time around.
Comments: 17
Kudos: 27





	1. prelude

**Author's Note:**

> i am terrified to touch upon the masterpiece that hiromu arakawa created, but this idea was just begging to be written. i haven't seen a ling centric time travel fic before, so this should hopefully be interesting!

All things considered, Ling had been quite lucky with how things had turned out.

To get involved with Amestris' nationwide conspiracy and _not die_ , as well as obtaining what he'd gone there for in the first place, he probably should have been feeling more grateful. But as he dragged his feet through the scorching sands of the desert, he felt nothing but bitter regret.

Two images kept resurfacing in his mind. The first: Fu falling to the ground, bleeding, after Bradley had struck him, and the second: Greed, held in a hand of carbon, crumbling away into nothing. And both times he had stood and watched in horror, unable to do a single thing to save them. Screaming for a doctor for Fu, but getting no response, and realising his own uselessness when it came to saving lives.

Ling turned the philosopher's stone over in his hand, staring at it, and trying to feel happy that he had saved his clan. But what sort of king would he turn out to be, if he couldn't save everyone?

The hot winds blew sand into his eyes, and he was forced to look up. Lan Fan and May walked beside him, and whilst he was glad of their presence, it also only served as a further reminder of his own foolishness.

Lan Fan had lost her arm because of him, and yet the entire journey back she'd insisted on carrying Fu's body, saying it was her duty to do so. Ling didn't think that duty was worth bearing that weight on an unstable automail arm that she'd nearly torn out trying to save him.

And May was wittering on about Alphonse this and Alphonse that, only pausing to comment on the stupidity of Ling trying to protect all the clans. Ling would've asked her to stop reminding him of something he was well aware of, but glares from Xiao Mei prevented him from opening his mouth, for the sake of the preservation of his fingers.

Instead, as the winds died down, he continued staring at the stone as it rolled around in the palm of his hand. He'd got it, the philospher's stone, the secret to immortality, but at what cost? Was it worth the lives of his friends?

_"You know, it's not quite as ideal as being king of the world, but I can make do with emperor of Xing..."_

_"Young lord... if you are truly a man worthy to be king... then you must be willing to accept some loss."_

Their voices rang out in his mind, and as he gazed into the crimson depths of a thousand souls, he wished more than anything that he could turn back time.

He'd never thought the saying "be careful what you wish for" would ever become so literal for him.

The stone began emitting a strange glow, growing brighter and brighter. He heard the panicked cries of Lan Fan and May, the howling of the wind, before it enveloped him entirely.

The light did not fade, instead forming a white void that surrounded him endlessly. Something about it seemed so familiar to him.

"Lan Fan?" He yelled, his voice echoing through the void. He turned around, searching for her familiar face, only to be greeted with a large stone gate. As it loomed over him, so did the realisation of where he was.

"This is how Ed got us out of Gluttony..." He murmured to himself. "It's a portal of truth."

In that moment, he really should have recognised how absolutely screwed over he was.

"Well, this is unexpected." The white figure of Truth appeared, grinning. "Or, it would be, had it not already happened, and were it not about to happen."

"Why am I here?" Ling said angrily, refusing to consider it may be his own fault. "Take me back!"

"'Back'?" Truth laughed. "That is precisely why you're here. The question is, how far?"

"I don't have time to listen to riddles! I've got a clan to save!"

"Your clan? I can take you back there."

"What-" Ling was interrupted by the grating sound of the gate opening. The weird shadow arms snaked through, clinging onto him with their creepy little hands, and pulling him backwards. He struggled in vain, yelling a number of profanities at Truth, who grinned until the doors slammed shut, and he was engulfed in darkness.

Ling was falling, falling, falling and-

He stood in the entrance hall of the palace, his mother pacing anxiously beside him as they waited for an audience with the Emperor. Confusion swam around his mind, half of him still the boy who trembled at the sight of his own father, and the other half the one who'd obtained a philosopher's stone, protesting and saying he _shouldn't be here_.

He'd been in the desert with Lan Fan and May, and he'd gone through the portal of Truth; why was he here? This was a mere memory, it had already happened, he-

_"'Back'? That is precisely why you're here."_

No. This was not happening. It couldn't be, it wasn't possible! Regardless of if he'd just met god for the second time. He knew someone who'd had plenty of run-ins with god(an agnostic, perhaps out of spite), and he was almost certain that if he asked Ed if time travel existed, he would get a firm no, backed up by some surely scientific explanation as to why.

But then again, he thought as he dwelled on the agnostic-who-met-god thing, someone had once told him nothing is impossible, unless you choose not to believe it. And hell, he had a philosopher's stone, which pretty much broke the laws of what was possible!

Damnit. He hadn't gotten involved with the affairs of another country, gone through hell to get a stone, just to give it all up and start over!

If he had truly gone back to the past, that meant he didn't even have the stone anymore. He'd used it. Albeit accidentally, but he'd still used it, for the useless purpose of going back in time. There had to be a way to get back, right? To undo what he'd just done?

But all thoughts of how to fix the situation were overshadowed by the memory he had landed in. Fu - alive - stood guard by the door, his eyes focused on the prince and his mother. Ling felt a rush of emotion seeing him alive, and had to stop himself from saying aloud how glad he was for that, at least.

What was about to happen, however, he wasn't looking forward to at all.

"Ling." His mother spoke up, and he shifted his attention to her. "You must remember the importance of obeisance, from the beginning to the end of our audience. Never lift your head up from the floor. Do not speak out of turn. Allow me to do the talking, and don't ever stop showing your respect."

"Yes, Mother." Was all he could say in response, trying to fight the rising dread in the pit of his stomach. He knew what was about to happen, he remembered this moment; the one and only time in his life that he had met his father. It was a memory that had haunted him ever since.

If he had gone back to the past, was it possible to change what was about to happen? And if so, was he within his right to do so?

"The Emperor will see you now." A royal guard said, and the large doors to the throne room swung open. Ling's heart pounded in his chest, and he only caught a glimpse of the sickly man on the throne before he averted his gaze to the ground.

If he kept his head down and his mouth shut this time, he wouldn't jeopardise their clan to the point it had been at before. He knew, looking back on it, that it was this moment that had triggered the loss of favour and the downhill slope towards poverty. It had been his fault, so the least he could do was not make the same mistake again.

He and his mother walked up to the throne, dropping down to the floor on their knees in a bow. Ling felt himself shaking with both fear and anger, and urged his limbs to be still.

"You may speak." Came the cold voice of the Emperor.

"Your Graciousness," Ling's mother began, "It is an honour to be in your presence. We come to your most sacred palace with gifts of the gemstones of our homeland."

She held them out, and the Emperor took the stones. "Yes, I am familiar with them. Continue."

"Your Excellency, you are a wise and generous ruler, and you have always treated our clan with your wonderful kindness. However, we have been unfortunate enough to suffer attacks from bandits at our border, stealing from our clan. Your Highness, we would be honoured if you could find it within your gracious heart to spare a few of your holy soldiers to resolve the issue."

"I am afraid I cannot."

Ling felt his mother flinch beside him. "Of course. Your Majesty is most wise and your judgement is always within the best interests for our country. For someone who is far from equal to Your Highness' great intelligence, I humbly ask for the honour of your just and fair reasoning behind your decision."

"My soldiers are occupied with protecting me and the holy ground that this palace stands on. Any that I can spare are in pursuit of finding immortality, so that I may have an everlasting reign."

"May I have permission to speak, Your Honour." Ling felt his lips move against him, his own sense of justice just as raging as last time. He could hardly hold back his fury.

"Permission granted. What is it you wish to say, Prince Yao?"

"I do not mean to question your decisions, but if these bandits are not fought off, our clan will soon be left in ruins." He spoke to the floor, but his voice was loud enough in its anger to be heard. "They will then move on from us, spreading their violence and thievery throughout the whole country. Your people will have nothing, we will all die, whilst you pursue fruitless legends! How can you call yourself a king without your people?"

He didn't know what had compelled him to lose sight of his respect. Perhaps it was the shadowy figure of Bradley in his mind, that began morphing into the form of his father. And the anger that it triggered.

"Ling!" His mother cried, pushing his head down so hard that it touched the floor. "I sincerely apologise, Your Highness, he does not know what he is saying, he-"

"How can I call myself a king?" The tone of his voice almost sounded amused. In the corner of his eye, Ling saw the Emperor stand up to his full height, and the feeling of being looked down on came rushing like a tidal wave. "Because I am above you. I am the chosen ruler of this country, with divine power gifted to me by the gods. You should learn some respect, boy, and remember your place among the rest of the fools you call people."

_"When you notice an insect on the ground, do you stop to consider it a fool?"_

"Your Majesty, please forgive him, he doesn't know what he's saying, he's just a boy, I will take punishment for not teaching him respect-"

"No!" Ling said, his body still shaking. "I meant what I said, and I will be the only one to take punishment for it."

"Guards, escort the Yaos out of the palace. Make sure they never set foot in here again."

Ling and his mother were practically shoved out of the throne room, the swords of the guards pressed against their backs. The guards did not leave them until they had fully descended the palace steps, and stepped out into the streets.

"Young lord, Lady Yao." Fu had followed them out, and had a grim look on his face that Ling couldn't quite pin down. "These streets are not safe for you; let me take you back to the safety of your home."

Ling was practically fighting back tears at his own stupidity, and couldn't even look at his mother. She didn't even say anything, as they began the long trek home.

He'd made it worse. He had sought to change what had happened, and instead made it worse. Maybe he'd got used to speaking so casually in Amestris, maybe he'd forgotten what it was like to be so powerless. But truthfully, there was no excuse. He had failed to control his anger, and here was the result.

Why had he been sent to the past? What was the point if he would create a present worse than the first time around? Fu was still alive, Ling was with his mother after what had felt like decades, but he'd only ruined the chance to make things right this time.

It was night by the time they made it back, the shadows twisting in a way that reminded Ling of Pride. He half expected a pair of eyes to open within the darkness, but it remained still.

Outside the house, Lan Fan had been standing guard. She brightened up at the sight of them. Quietly, Ling heard her ask Fu if they'd been successful. He didn't stop to listen to the reply, instead stepping inside.

His mother sat down on a cushion, and beckoned for him to do so as well. He still couldn't meet her eyes, his own shame like an anchor weighing him down.

"He's going to punish our clan, isn't he." Ling didn't phrase it like a question when he already knew the answer. "It was my mistake, but..." He felt his shoulders begin trembling as a lump rose in his throat. "They'll suffer for it..."

"You have always been brave, Ling." His mother said, putting a hand on his back. "Sometimes that bravery will bring good consequences, and other times bad ones. You said what I was too afraid to say, and hearing your opinion on what it means to be a king only makes me proud of you. You will rise from this mistake, and you will learn to be better. I know I didn't raise my son to just give up when things look bad."

He couldn't give up. He may have gone back in time and created a future that was even more screwed up, but he could fix it before it became irreparable. Even if the people he loved from his own time were gone, and he would probably never be able to go back, the least he could do was take this opportunity to help them in this timeline. It would take more than going back in time to make him give up.

Ling finally lifted his head to look in his mother's eyes, that glistened with determination mirroring his own. He couldn't let her down. Not when she had given him all the encouragement he needed to keep going.

That night, instead of sleeping, he thought of how he would move forward. He felt relaxed to be back in his own bed after several months, and it felt slightly off. If all he was going to do was grow content being back home, then he couldn't stay here, couldn't allow his guard down for a moment.

He had to move as soon as the sun rose tomorrow. So that meant deciding right now where he would go.

He thought of philospher's stones, the homunculi, the plot within Amestris, the fate of his clan this time around. There was only really one place that he could go, and the bigger question was how to protect everyone. He thought on that one for a long time.

And maybe, he had a half baked plan. Maybe it was foolish and reckless, but he wasn't the sort of person to think things through too logically. He relied on instinct and feelings to guide him, and it was now that they spoke louder than ever.

Before he left, he needed to pay a visit to a certain someone.

The next morning, he grabbed his sword, and debated bringing food along, before deciding to leave it for his clansmen instead. It was early right now, his mother still asleep, and he whispered a silent goodbye as he stepped out of the threshold of his home. He couldn't stay there now, he couldn't risk becoming too comfortable.

He had to keep moving. He knew his mother would understand.

"Lan Fan, what direction is the Chang clan again?" He asked the sleep deprived girl who'd probably been standing guard all night.

"They are to the South of us, my lord. But why would you want to go- My lord!" She yelled, as he began running. He knew he wasn't as fast as his guards, but he hoped that the sleep deprivation would be enough for him to lose them. There was no point in them coming if they would only get hurt again.

"Don't follow me, Lan Fan, I'm doing this alone!" He shouted, climbing up to the rooftops and taking possibly the most dangerous route across the top of them. All just to shake his guards off his back.

The sensation of being followed wore off as he entered one of the mountain tunnels, and he decided to call that part of his plan a success for now. Now he had a princess to meet.

The tunnel was completely dark, and he bumped into the walls more times than he'd like to admit. But despite the throbbing pain where his face had hit the jagged rock, adrenaline was spurring him on. It wasn't the first time he'd ran away from home, and it probably wasn't the last.

He wanted to say he knew what he was doing this time, but he'd sort of picked up the whole not-telling-a-lie thing from his time with Greed.

It took most of the day to get there, weaving through mountains and tunnels and narrowly avoiding being attacked by a panda. His stamina was reaching the end of its limit, and his stomach was begging him for food. But the last thing he was going to do now was collapse, not with an even longer journey ahead of him.

The Chang clan was small and bedraggled, already facing the poverty that the Yao clan had begun staring into. The state of it was a sight to behold, tiny rotting buildings and dried crop fields.

One of the buildings was slightly larger, and he labelled it as his target. He climbed up onto the windowsill, and jumped inside. Immediately he saw the tiny princess and her tiny, vicious panda.

"Hey, princess Chang, how's it going?" He grinned, raising a hand in greeting.

"You're the prince of the Yao clan!" May exclaimed, immediately on guard. For an twelve year old girl, she sure managed to sound angry. "Why are you here?"

"Calm down, I just want to talk-" Ling laughed, until a blade was pointed at his face. And _damn_ , she had a lot of knives. He began lifting his hands up in a half-hearted surrender, until the blade was knocked away.

Ah, there they were.

"Young lord, what on earth are you doing here?" Fu questioned as Lan Fan began fighting May in a blur of silver weapons.

"Oh, you know me, I was just seeing how long it took for you guys to show up-" He ducked as a knife flew at his head. Somehow this was turning out exactly how he'd expected. So that meant the plan should work as well.

"Don't sick your dogs on me, fight me yourself, coward!" May yelled, as more knives kept appearing in her hands and flying across the room.

"No, I reckon they've got it covered." Ling said amicably. He waited for Fu to join the fray, before making his escape.


	2. pianoforte

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Who the hell are you?" Greed raised an eyebrow as his hand grew back.
> 
> "My name is Ling Yao, I am the twelfth son of the emperor of Xing!" Ling swung his sword at Bradley, who jumped back to avoid it. "All you need to know is I'm on your side!"
> 
> or:  
> in which ling meets some old friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> full disclaimer: in most time travel fics, people know what they're doing and make a plan. not ling. no, he's completely winging it and hoping for the best.
> 
> also concerning the first chapter: when i was belatedly rereading the manga, i saw that ling says he's never had a conversation with his father. i'm going to say that i "creatively interpreted" that, and that the interaction between the two of them can hardly be considered a conversation.
> 
> with that out of the way, on with the chapter!

It was as he passed through the ruins of Xerxes that they caught up to him.

"Young lord!" Fu shouted, running across the crumbling pillars to where Ling had stopped to take a breather. To his dismay, Lan Fan followed close behind.

"Oh, come _on_ , I told you guys not to follow me!" He exclaimed.

"It is our sworn duty to protect you, young lord." Fu said. "We cannot do that if we stay in Xing."

Ling sighed, rubbing a hand over his face. He hadn't wanted them to get caught up in this and suffer again. He'd thought the best way to prevent it would be to stop them coming at all, through that diversion with May, but he clearly had overlooked his guards' determination to follow him to the ends of the earth. Not to mention, if he remembered correctly, he'd probably had the most assassination attempts so far this year...

Well, if he couldn't keep them away from this, then he'd just have to protect them himself. This time, he wouldn't let a single scratch land on either of them.

"Why must you always run away, young lord? First to the Chang clan, and now to the desert!" Fu continued. "Do you _want_ to be assassinated?"

"No, I-" Ling sighed again. "I'm going to Amestris to search for an object called a philosopher's stone. It's created by Amestrian alkahestry and it's said to grant eternal life."

"Is this because of what happened with the Emperor, my lord?" Lan Fan asked, her voice quiet. Ling flinched, the question opening the floodgates of guilt once more.

"I'm going to save our clan." He muttered, expression serious. "I will become Emperor and I will change our country. No longer will anyone suffer at the hands of that bastard." He then grinned. "I may have lost my composure earlier, but if all it takes is a little kissing up to him with the offer of immortality, then it's a small price to pay!"

"My lord..." Lan Fan's eyes glistened behind her mask, as if she knew there was more than just those reasons as the driving force behind Ling's motivation. She'd always been able to tell when he was upset, always seeing behind his fragile attempts to be strong and hide his emotions.

He was hardly trying to hide this time, anyway, despite his lighthearted tone. Emotions made him stronger, they drove him towards his goal, and he knew not acknowledging them would only hold him back.

"Let's keep moving." He said. "There's a place called Rush Valley that does amazing food!"

He set off again, and Lan Fan and Fu didn't question his knowledge of Rush Valley. Perhaps they thought that if he knew anything about Amestris, it would be to do with food. Little did they know it was an automail town. Regardless, he was grateful for it, and determined to keep up his charade for as long as he could.

Because if they found out he was from the future, what would they even think of him? If they knew he'd messed up even more than before, would they still follow him with blind faith? Selfishly, he didn't ever want to find out the answer to that.

He distracted himself by trying to plan out what to do once they reached Amestris. When he'd been planning before, he hadn't really thought past ditching his guards and crossing the desert. One certain thing was that he definitely needed to find the Elric brothers, if only to warn them of what would happen. And if he wasn't wrong, it had seemed their father had played a big role in defeating the father of the homunculi as well.

Ling wasn't sure if he'd left Xing earlier or later this time, as he hadn't really been keeping track of it. Which meant that even if he aimed to go to Rush Valley, it was unlikely he'd run into the Elrics there again. So in that case, it might be better to aim for Central, and try to find them there.

He began to feel the awful chi of Amestris after a while of walking, and knew that they must be close now. He remembered that it would be even worse at the heart of it in Central, which didn't do much to help the queasiness in his stomach. God, just when he'd got away from the country as well!

His past self would laugh at him, willingly getting involved in another country's affairs for the second time. But there were lives to save, and he couldn't just ignore that, whether they were his people or not.

Eventually they came across the outskirts of an Amestrian town, people who lived in poverty in the slums. It reminded him too much of the Chang clan, people with hollow cheeks and sunken eyes. Here was another problem with this goddamned country.

"Excuse me, could you tell me which part of Amestris this is?" He approached an elderly lady.

"This is the town of Fenmore, just at the edge of the sourthen district." She replied. "Are you a foreigner? Do you need someplace to stay?"

"Yes, I'm from Xing. But I couldn't possibly trespass on your hospitality. Besides, I'm headed to Central City, so I'd like to keep moving for a while longer." He declined the offer, hardly even surprised anymore that the poor were the ones with the most kindness. She probably would've given up her own bed for him, out of pure altruistic intent.

"Have a safe journey then." The old lady smiled, and Ling continued his journey through the town.

If he was in the southern district, then maybe he could stop by Rush Valley after all. If only for the food that he'd swindled off of Ed last time. It might not be worth the wasted time, but the Promised Day was ages away yet, so he didn't need to worry _too_ much about it.

It was after travelling for the rest of the day, through towns and villages, that the mundane journey changed.

Dublith was an average Amestrian town, nothing that special about it. Ling was concerned about the amount of dodgy looking bars that lined the streets, and wondering if Amestrians had any pastimes other than drinking or killing people.

His sense of direction wasn't really helping them here. Sure, Central should be just north, but it'd be useful to have a map. He hadn't really been paying much attention to distances the first time around, and hoped it wasn't far. He also hoped that he'd run into the Elrics there, cause he was kind of banking on them being in Central.

The latest bar he saw looked just like the others, and it wouldn't have caught his attention if it weren't for who was standing in front of it.

Ling would recognise the man anywhere, the face that haunted his dreams, the face of the man who'd taken _everything_ from him. The stars on his shoulder that marked him as a leader to the people, a king who hadn't a care in the world for them. It was all Ling could do to not attack him then and there.

"Change of plan." He muttered to Fu and Lan Fan. "I want to know what the ruler of this country is doing at a dingy bar like that."

"Ruler?" Fu breathed. "You mean Fuhrer King Bradley?"

"Yeah, that's the one." Ling despised Fu even speaking the name of the man who had killed him. "If we're to begin to find out what's going on in this country, I say we start with him."

"You wish to follow him, my lord?" Lan Fan asked, looking confused.

"For now." Maybe he'd put a sword through him later if he got too close. "You two should wait outside and keep an eye out for anything else."

It wasn't that he didn't think they could handle themselves in a fight. But this was Bradley he was talking about here, and he'd be damned if he'd ever let them within ten feet of each other. Not when the bastard was the cause of all the ruin previously.

"My lord-" Lan Fan attempted to protest.

"If I'm not back in half an hour, then go in after me. Does that sound good enough to you?"

"Twenty minutes." Lan Fan said.

"Twenty-five." Ling made sure his tone left no room for argument.

"We shall await your return, young lord." Fu inclined his head.

"I'll try not to take too long, then." Ling replied, jumping over to the roof of the bar. Bradley had gone inside already, and Ling climbed down, before entering through the door.

The military forces were already creating a massacre, no doubt under Bradley's orders. The people they fought seemed slightly off... were they chimeras? And a big group of them, too. It didn't make any sense, especially since the military had chimeras working for them before. Why were they killing them?

Ling frowned, unable to figure out a motive in what they were doing here. Even with everything he'd seen the first time around, it seemed that there was more going on within the shadows. All anyone in this country seemed to do was kill people for the sake of bloodshed, regardless of whether it powered the circle.

Bradley had gone further than others, eventually moving underground to some sort of passage, the edge of it lined with water. Ling followed, staying at a distance where he could be hidden in the shadows. Years of escaping his guards just for the sake of alone time had honed his stealth to quite an impressive degree, and it hadn't let him down so far.

Further down, he began to hear voices. He couldn't make out what they said, and instead strained his eyes to see who was there. A man, talking to... was that armour?

Ling squinted, trying to make it out, but it was too dark to be sure. If his eyes weren't deceiving him, what on earth was Alphonse doing here?

He moved closer, and caught the end of the man's sentence.

"...so we need to figure a way out of here."

That voice... It was scarily familiar. It couldn't be. No, it was just as likely as Alphonse actually being here, which was to say: _very_ unlikely.

"I can't let you do that." Came the cold voice of Bradley.

"Just what do you want, old man?" That voice sounded painfully familiar, but it just couldn't be, out of all the places _he_ would be, he couldn't be here.

"It's the Fuhrer!" Well that was definitely Al's voice.

"Huh... What's the most powerful man in the land doing down here?"

Ling cursed under his breath. It _was_ him. But why here?

And then he remembered. The memories that had haunted Greed, that had opened his eyes to who he really was. The images of his friends dying, at the hands of Bradley, that had nearly driven him insane. Was this when it happened?

It was always Bradley, wasn't it? At the centre of everything, his bloodstained hands were behind every sword.

Maybe Ling could prevent it. That way, at least, he might not get stuck sharing his body with Greed again. And whilst he didn't want to sound like Ed and Al, these people - Greed's friends -they shouldn't die. A human life was a life, and killing without good reason was something Ling despised.

As he focused his attention on the two of them again, Bradley began moving forward, sword drawn.

"Ha, I've got an idea: retire!" Greed summoned his shield, and his hand was cut off by Bradley.

Ling had made his decision. He wasn't going to watch anyone die at the hands of that man, not again.

He drew his sword, taking a breath, and attacked Bradley from behind. He never got the satisfaction of blade meeting flesh, though, when the bastard blocked it with his sword.

"Who the hell are you?" Greed raised an eyebrow as his hand grew back.

"My name is Ling Yao, I am the twelfth son of the emperor of Xing!" Ling swung his sword at Bradley, who jumped back to avoid it. "All you need to know is I'm on _your_ side!"

"Is that so?" Greed stood back and watched the fight. "Well," He mused, "I think you've got it handled. C'mon Martel, let's get armour kid outta here."

"What?" Ling cried, gritting his teeth. He should've known better. Of course Greed would take advantage of him in a fight like this. Now he was stuck fighting Bradley, and he loathed to admit it, but he wouldn't be able to hold out on his own much longer.

He tried the old trick of staying in Bradley's blind spot, but it was hard to manoeuvre around properly in the terrain. He'd be done for if the bastard took off his eyepatch.

"If you are truly from Xing," Bradley spoke up, "Then what are you doing here in this country?"

"You're the last person I'd tell." Ling replied, only narrowly missing a strike that came close to his head. Adrenaline could only do so much against his stamina, which was beginning to slow down.

"If that's the case, then all you're doing is getting in my way." Bradley snarled. His sword lurched forward, and Ling wasn't quick enough to avoid it as it plunged into his gut.

As it was dragged out, he fell to the ground, seething with frustration as the pain rushed through him. He couldn't die here, not at the hands of that man, not when there were people to save. He couldn't have been sent back in time just to die.

The agony rushing through him was fighting to take over any rational thought within him. Every fibre of his being was screaming out and begging for the pain to stop, protesting any slight movement he made, even the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Groaning, he lifted his head, to see Bradley walking in the direction Greed had gone in. Behind him, he heard running footsteps. He recognised their owners as two of Greed's friends.

"Huh, who's this?"

"Doesn't matter, let's find Greed."

"No..." Ling croaked. "Don't... go after him... You'll... die..."

They paid his words no heed, charging into the fray, recklessly throwing their lives away. Ling watched as the battle drifted further away, disappearing into the darkness.

Here he was, watching people die again. He couldn't do a thing, he was forced to watch, helplessly, as Bradley caused ruthless destruction once more.

He couldn't even help himself as he bled out. How could he hope to do anything if he died here? He hadn't even been able to warn Ed and Al yet, that should've been the first thing he did when he reached Amestris, but he'd let himself get distracted by his hatred of Bradley.

"Young lord!"

He shifted his head, staring fearfully at his guards. No, no, they couldn't be here. Not this close to Bradley.

"Get... away..." He was cut off by coughing up his own blood. He felt his consciousness drifting, and next thing he knew he was being carried away on Fu's back. His hands brushed against the chest plate, fingers attempting to grasp the cold metal, but he found it difficult to even do that much.

Was his vision fading or was it the darkness of the tunnel? He couldn't tell, and hardly cared. All he wanted in that moment was to shut his eyes and give in to the pain.

It wouldn't hurt to just rest them for a moment...

The next time he opened them, he was met with a blank white ceiling. Slowly he realised he was lying on a bed. He turned his head to the side, to see Fu sitting in a chair beside him. His head snapped up when he saw Ling was awake.

"Where are we?" Ling asked.

"We took you to the next town over and managed to find a doctor to treat your wound." Fu explained. "I didn't think it would be safe to remain in Dublith."

"This town..." Ling frowned, his head feeling slightly foggy. "What's it called?"

"It's an odd place. You mentioned it before, I believe it's called Rush Valley."

His brain started putting the puzzle pieces together. Ed and Al had met Greed before he'd entered Ling's body, Al had definitely been there, and when Ling had met them the first time around they'd been in Rush Valley to repair Ed's automail because of a fight...

He sat up abruptly as the realisation dawned over him. Ed and Al would be here, he had to find them! He might have to search the whole town, or he could 'collapse' again, but the likelihood of being found... Not to mention his already bad condition.

"How long was I out for?"

"It's been nearly a day, young lord." Fu replied.

Then... would Ed and Al still be here? How long did it take to fix automail? Knowing Winry, she'd probably have it done in no time...

"I want to look for someone." He said, grabbing onto an excuse to use as a bluff. "At the bar in Dublith there was someone with a soul bonded to armour. That's basically an immortal body," He internally winced as he remembered how Winry had yelled at him for saying that, "So I think it's a good lead to go off."

"Young lord, I do not think you're in any condition to be up and about."

"Oh, come on, it's a stab wound, it's not gonna kill me."

"It nearly did." Fu's expression hardened. "If we'd been there five minutes earlier, the time that Lan Fan had suggested, we might've been able to prevent it from happening."

"I should probably apologise to her." Ling looked down. "She didn't worry too much, did she?"

"No, not excessively, but I agree that she might appreciate an apology."

"I'll wait for her to talk to me, then. In the meantime, I want to follow up on the lead I found."

"You need to rest more, young lord. Your wound hasn't healed yet."

"Yeah, but that's why I've got you guys to protect me if I run into trouble. Besides, I can't afford to waste any more time."

Fu sighed. "Then we shall find this soul bonded armour you speak of."

Luckily, Alphonse wasn't hard to pick out of a crowd. Next to him walked a bored looking Ed, wearing his favourite scowl on his face.

"Hey you! Short blond kid!" Ling called out.

"WHO'RE YOU CALLING SO SHORT YOU CAN'T SEE HIM WITHOUT A MAGNIFYING GLASS?!"

"Woah, relax, I just wanted to get your attention." Ling smirked, knowing this was the best way to do it. "You're Edward Elric, right?" He was surprised by how short Ed was right now. Had he actually grown back in the previous timeline?

"Uh, yeah, that's me." Ed looked confused.

"Good!" Ling smiled, trying to hide how hard it was to pretend he didn't already know Ed. "I'm looking for something, and I think you might be able to help me find it."

"Wait a minute, I saw you back in Dublith!" Alphonse cried. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, who exactly are you?"

"Oh, you didn't hear when I introduced myself? My name's Ling Yao, and I've come from Xing." He left out the prince part, remembering how they'd laughed at him last time.

"Xing? Isn't that the country to the east of the desert?" Ed questioned.

"Yeah, and I travelled across it to get here, so you might understand that I don't want to go back home empty handed."

"What is it that you're looking for, then?"

Ling smiled. "Immortality. See, our country's bastard emperor is afraid of dying, so he wants it quite badly. And whilst the last thing I want to do is suffer more years under his reign, he's a powerful man who holds everyone's lives in his hands, so I don't really have a choice."

"Sounds like a political catastrophe." Ed hummed. "Although, I can't say Amestris is much better. We're constantly having riots and skirmishes at the borders. It's not exactly hard to understand why we have a militaristic government."

Ling painfully remembered the real reason behind it, but naturally didn't voice it aloud. Sure, he'd have to tell Ed about the circle at some point, but it would look pretty suspicious if he knew about it now.

"You're a state alchemist, right?" Ling decided to cut to the chase. "I thought you might be able to help me."

"With what, finding immortality? Is this becoming some sort of trend? Just yesterday this Greed guy asked me the same thing, and I didn't really like the way he asked questions."

Ling wasn't that surprised, but tried not to show a visible reaction. It somewhat explained what the Elrics had been doing there, at least.

"If you can't think of anything off the top of your head, then maybe I can jog your memory." His expression hardened. "The philospher's stone; I need you to tell me everything you know about it."

Shock passed over Ed's face, and he crossed his arms. "Sorry, but I can't help you with that."

"You wouldn't be lying to me, now would you?" Ling snapped his fingers, and Lan Fan and Fu appeared immediately, holding weapons against the brothers.

Truthfully, he didn't have to go about befriending Ed and Al this way, but he had to admit, it had been quite entertaining the first time around. And he hadn't had fun in a while.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ling never said he wouldn't fuck with people for shits and giggles along the way
> 
> as you can see, there's a bit of altered canon sprinkled in here, just because i love the scene when ed and al first meet ling, and couldn't bring myself to change it too much. i feel like it's in character for ling to mess with them at first?
> 
> fun fact: ed asking if finding immortality is a new trend is in the manga but not the anime! it makes sense because they meet ling right after greed, which also nicely sets up, um, cough, later events. i just think it's neat that ling and greed are actually more similar than you think.
> 
> also i know ling ending up in the south after crossing the desert doesn't geographically make sense, but for plot purposes he needed to be there! i've never been much of a geography fan anyway
> 
> and because i forgot to say before: i will try to update this every two weeks. i really want to stick to this schedule so if i do go off it in the future i'm sorry, but i am determined to not let that happen.

**Author's Note:**

> i wonder,, where he's going,,
> 
> i'd love some comments if you have any thoughts! i'm really excited to begin this fic and see where it goes
> 
> some of my explanations for certain things are below if you wanna read them:
> 
> so obviously i know that hiromu arakawa based xing off ancient east/south-east asia(mainly china), and respect is quite an important part of their culture. i took some creative liberty though, and actually based it off what i know about ancient persian obeisance. persian kings believed in the divine right of kings which basically means they were chosen by god and anyone below them has to show some form of obeisance. there are different levels to it depending on your social rank compared to the king, from bowing your head to fully prostrating yourself. ling being a prince means that his rank is much closer to the emperor than an average person, but he and his mother both bow on their knees in order to gain favour by showing more respect.
> 
> also if anyone is wondering why ling wasn't directly punished by the emperor, it's because the emperor could tell what sort of person he was after he yelled at him, and knew that by slowly allowing the yao clan to fall into poverty, ling would be more hurt watching them suffer than if he suffered himself. i don't expect they have anything remotely close to a family relationship, and deliberately didn't portray it that way at all. i'm headcannoning that the emperor is a colossal jerk since we canonically know that the chang clan lived in poverty and nothing had been done about it. in the original timeline, ling's clan was obviously better off than may's, but if he was so desperately searching for the philosopher's stone, they must have been in danger of losing favour is what i believe. in this timeline, it's a lot worse, which is why ling left pretty much immediately.


End file.
